It DOES get better with time

The Italians have an expression "canta che ti passa' sing and let it pass. To every kid who is teased, abused or made fun of at school for being -fill in the blank- and thinks it's never going to end, let me assure you that like a kidney stone-it will pass. Remember that none of this painful heartache will matter in 5 years. You'll probably never see your tormentors again-until a 25 year reunion where the Schenfeude will be thick with irony.

I bring this up because Dan Savage reported on an incident where a gay teen committed suicide after relentless bullying at school- again. This epidemic has been going on for some time but the media a pays it no attention. Despite all the talk about protecting children and zero tolerance for bullies in school blah, blah it goes on unbaited-why? Because the adults view bullying and harassment as a rite of passage, especially with boys. They had to deal with it, so do you-"suck it up loser" goes the mentality. There are plenty of guilty parties in these events to justify their non interference with a cold shrug that they had it coming, they weren't man enough to blow it off, who cares about gays anyway etc.

These are fucking teenagers with raging hormones and no clue what's going on. It behoove adults to let them know the bright outcome of this dark ride known as adolescence. It gets better, really it does.

High School sucks, being a teenager sucks, I know I've been there like everyone else. Oh there may be exceptions, but I have never heard anyone remember their teenage years fondly. Angst, uncertainity and a gnawing suspicion you are different from everyone else and no one understand you, haunt you. Sound familiar? We have all been there.

I was miserable as an awkward, shy, socially clueless 17 year old who was viewed as an eccentric weirdo by most -including my family. Now as a full blown grown up I look back on those years and smile because I'm happier, healthier and get along just fine thank you. I take pride in the knowledge that I was smarter than those miserable dumbfucks. And I sing.